I Stand Alone
Chapter Four: Why Won't You Look At Me?
A medium-pitched yell. A splash.What the hell? thought Garrett as he made his way towards the sounds. He saw nothing in the darkness of the forest, but it wasn't like he needed to. After seven years of living in the Forbidden Forest, it was easy enough to navigate without needing to focus. The feel of cool water reached his feet as he stepped into the small pond.
Next he heard a gasp, and felt the ground underneath him ripple. The moving ropes on the pond floor shifted, and Garrett momentarily lost his balance. He pitched forward, but used his staff to firmly catch himself.
"Hey," he called sternly, taking a step forward. He drew his staff up into both hands, tapping the higher end into his broad palm a few times. "That's my net." Only the sound of half-drowned breaths met his ears, until they were interrupted by intense growling, which came from a above. The sunken ledge. That explains a lot. Two heavy splashes, and one smaller one. Two giant creatures, advancing on him, by the sound of it….Garrett braced himself.
The closest one threw something that whistled through the air like a blade. At Ayden's signal, Garrett leaned back and to the right, the bladed object missing him entirely. Some of the odd sounds it made, though…was it just a knife, or something stranger?
No time to ponder it- Ayden was in flight, Garrett could hear his wings. One signal….two. The man threw himself forward, smashing upward with his staff and hitting one creature on his right, then reversing the motion, and hitting one on his left. Both fell. He turned around, listening for more adversaries. The second creature (and the smaller, from the sound of it) rose out of the water behind him, only to be met most painfully twice more by Garrett's staff. In fact, considering his position, Garrett even managed to get the living stump at the pond's edge to help him out a bit by devouring the creature. One down…one to go.
The larger monster advanced on him, growling menacingly. Now, Ayden? No. Now? Come on, Ayden…come on…come on! Finally, Ayden's signal came. But- not where the creature was, but off to Garrett's right somewhere! Ayden, what are you doing?! Despite his lack of understanding, Garrett whipped his staff up and brought it crashing down on his right. He hit something long and flexible- a vine?
The next thing he knew, a tremendous force began pulling on his legs. He braced himself against it, trying depserately to decipher the bubbling sounds that filled his ears. Something whooshed past him on the left, smashing into the creature in front of him, and knocking it backwards. The force in the water intensified- then stopped, with a final gurgle. The creature appeared to be gone, from the sound. Once again, all Garrett could hear was the sound of heavy breaths from whoever had first interrupted his evening.
"Wow, that- that was incredible, how you smashed those, creatures, how you avoided that- that thing!" The voice was female, and fairly young…probably around Garertt's age. But what the crap was a young woman doing in the Forest? Especially tailed by monsters like those? She continued speaking, as Garrett reached down and snagged the edge of his net, pulling it up so he could examine it. "You're amazing, you're-" She noticed what he was doing. "…not even listening to me."
He ignored her. "Great," he said to himself. "It took me six weeks to make this net-" You know girls. They always have to interrupt. "A net? You saved my life, thank you!"
His reply was scathing. "Well, anyone can make a mistake." She just laughed sardonically. "Oh, I get it," she said. "This is where King Arthur sends his unfunny jesters, right?" That stung. He met her laugh with one of his own- equally lacking in seriousness. "And now I'll thank you," he said. She was confused. "For what?" she asked.
He turned to her and said sharply, "For reminding me why I'm a hermit! Good day." He strode off into the Forest, and the new girl followed him relentlessly. "Now wait a minute!" she called. "What's your name?" He sighed, and answered, "It's Garrett." He climbed up the hill out of the pond valley, Ayden flying behind him. "I'm Kayley," came the perky voice from behind him. Her footsteps grew quicker; she was running to catch up. "Garrett," she asked. "Why won't you look at me when I'm talking to you?" Kayley put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to face her. She caught sight of his bleak, sightless eyes.
"Oh," she said softly. "Oh, I didn't realize you were-" He cut her off. "What? Tall? Rugged? Handsome?" He knew precisely what she meant. Garrett just barely heard her whisper, "….blind."
Garrett turned to face her, laughter written across his face. "You know," he said, "I always forget that one." He kept walking.
A moment later, Garrett felt Ayden flutter up beside him, cawing enthusiastically, trying to get his attention. "Not now, Ayden," he said, brushing the bird off. "Hey look!" Kayley exclaimed. "You're falcon has silver wings!" Oh really? That was new. He'd never really know what Ayden looked like, and only just barely knew what kind of bird he was. "Really? I'll have to take your word for that," he told Kayley. She gasped. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, but- you see, it means that he knows where Excalibur is!"
Good God, didn't this brainless girl know anything? "Sure he does," he replied sarcastically. "In Camelot. You know, big castle? Lots of flags?" He turned to keep going, but Kayley's next words stopped him. "No!" she cried. "It's somewhere in the Forest! Ruber has stolen it, and he's taken my mother hostage." He kept walking. "That's why I'm here!" she yelled after him. "I must find the sword and take it back to Arthur, or Camelot and my mother are doomed." Well if she's here to find the sword, she's not doing a very good job thusfar, Garrett thought to himself.
Ayden interrupted his thoughts with a series of caws. "Hmm?" Garrett asked him, alert. "Excalibur is here?" He paused, then made a decision. "Right. We're going after it." With Ayden perched on his arm, he walked ahead, ready for anything.
"Great!" said Kayley, following. Garrett laughed, and turned to her. "Not you," he said, as if stating the obvious. Which, of course, he was. "Me and Ayden. We work alone." He pointed at her with his staff, to make his point. She simply shoved it aside. That movement, everything about how it felt- the determination, the attitude….every bit of it (and her, for that matter) reminded him of Lora. Even that note in her voice…
"Well I see no reason why I can't come along."
